Beavers to be released from Lauderdale jail; put on house arrest

FLORENCE, Ala. (WHNT) – For the past fifteen days a Lauderdale County School Board Member has remained behind bars for operating a heating and cooling business without a state license.

Tuesday morning, Dan Beavers reached a plea agreement with prosecutors to get out of jail early but it didn’t happen without question from the presiding judge.

Hiding behind deputies, Beavers was escorted into district court to plead guilty to two counts of operating a business without a contractor’s license.

For more than two weeks Beavers has been in jail serving a 12-month sentence for the same charges.

A sentence imposed after Judge Carole Medley said Beavers failed to comply with an order.

“The problem is he continued to offend after the first round. So I think it was appropriate for the judge to do this for two years and we agree with her decision,” explained District Attorney Chris Connolly.

Judge Medley scraped the initial plea agreement presented to her and demanded Beavers be put on house arrest for two years.

He will have to wear an ankle monitor, and only has permission to go to church and to doctor’s appointments.

Beavers continued to be out-spoken about the case while leaving the courtroom in handcuffs, “Have you ever had a speeding ticket? Same thing, misdemeanor, same thing. What kind of example is that to you?”

“We think it protects the public because we’ll know that he is not working as an unlicensed contractor. It also will require that he stay under house arrest,” stated Connolly.

As part of the house arrest, Beavers cannot attend any of the Lauderdale County School Board meetings through the remainder of his term.

School board officials said Dan Beavers term on the school board ends after the general election in November when his replacement takes the seat.

Unless he resigns, Beavers will continue to receive his monthly salary of $800 from the Lauderdale County School Board.